Proto-Mixtec Phonology Author(s): Cornelia Mak and Robert Longacre Source: International Journal of American Linguistics, Vol. 26, No. 1 (Jan., 1960), pp. 23-40 Published by: The University of Chicago Press Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1263729 Accessed: 07/05/2010 19:18 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp. JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in part, that unless you have obtained prior permission, you may not download an entire issue of a journal or multiple copies of articles, and you may use content in the JSTOR archive only for your personal, non-commercial use. Please contact the publisher regarding any further use of this work. Publisher contact information may be obtained at http://www.jstor.org/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=ucpress. Each copy of any part of a JSTOR transmission must contain the same copyright notice that appears on the screen or printed page of such transmission. JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. The University of Chicago Press is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to International Journal of American Linguistics. http://www.jstor.org PROTO-MIXTEC PHONOLOGY CORNELIA MAK AND ROBERT LONGACRE SUMMER INSTITUTE OF LINGUISTICS 0. Introduction Mixtecan, the structure underlying the pres- 1. Proto-Mixtec phonemes and their re- ent language family composed of Mixtec, flexes Cuicatec, and Trique, and has suggested 2. Proto-Mixtec syllables and their reflexes that Amuzgo split off from a common 3.1. Development of Proto-Mixtec pho- parent, Proto-Macro-Mixtecan, at possibly nemes from Proto-Mixtecan an earlier date. He and Evangelina Arana 3.2. Development of Proto-Mixtec ultimate have independently reconstructed a few syllables from Proto-Mixtecan features of this broader framework inclusive 4. Amplification and modification of of Amuzgo; the latter's sketch includes Longacre's data Amuzgo within Mixtecan proper and differs 4.1. Longacre's *tnV reconstruction in some respects from Longacre's.2 Mean- 4.2. Evidence for Proto-Mixtec *e while, Sarah Gudschinsky and Maria Teresa 4.3. Status of Proto-Mixtecan *i de Miranda have been working independent- ly on Proto-Popolocan, a structure underly- 0. The tracing of a common source for ing Popoloc, Mazatec, Ixcatec, and Chocho. some of the Oaxacan languages of Mexico The former has just completed a study has gone steadily forward in recent years. which not only reconstructs Proto-Popolo- Robert Longacrel has reconstructed Proto- can but an earlier layer inclusive of both Mixtecan and Popolocan and termed by 1 Robert Longacre, Proto-Mixtecan, IJAL, Volume 23, No 4 (October, 1957), Part III, Publi- Gudschinsky Proto-Popotecan.3 cation Five of the Indiana University Research In this paper we compare the modern Center in Anthropology, Folklore, and Linguistics Mixtec dialects, reconstructing their com- of dissertation sub- (University Pennsylvania mon source after the split-off from the sister mitted in February, 1955). This paper is one of the and our projected sequels to Longacre's monograph as languages, comparing reconstruc- anticipated by him (p. 153): 'Future research tions with those of Longacre for Proto- should include (a) reconstruction of PM, PC, and Mixtecan.4 Additional data not available to PT in their own right .... The above projects, once completed, should put the reconstruction of the PMx reconstructions with the revamping and PMx on a somewhat more solid foundation than and adjustment that the adding of a further I have been able to provide for it in this study.' language inevitably brings.' A second sequel to Longacre's monograph is a In this paper, Mak is responsible for the Mixtec joint paper by him and Rene Millon, A Cultural data and for most of the suggested revisions in Analysis of the Proto-Mixtecan and Proto-Macro- Longacre's framework. Longacre has written the Mixtecan Vocabularies (to be published in Spanish bulk of Section 4.1 and 4.2, although, again, the in the Memoria volume of the Linguistic Section germinal ideas of this section are largely Mak's. of the Mesa Redonda on Languages of Oaxaca, Longacre has also assisted materially in the phras- May, 1957). The latter study seeks to gain a rough ing and editing of the paper as a whole. outline of the culture of the speakers of Proto- 2 Evangelina Arana: an unpublished Master's Mixtec and Proto-Macro-Mixtecan. It involves thesis, Mexico City, December, 1957. reconstruction of Amuzgo along with the three 3Sarah Gudschinsky, Proto-Popotecan, a languages included in Mixtecan proper (hence the University of Pennsylvania dissertation, Febru- term Proto-Macro-Mixtecan for the grouping ary, 1958. IUPAL Memoir 15 (1959). including Amuzgo), and thus carries forward 4 In a few cases where the Mixtec evidence is partially another projected sequel study of Long- not conclusive, we use reconstructions from Long- acre's (p. 153): 'Incorporation of Amuzgo into acre's data; e.g., see 2, set 90, where PM *li is 23 24 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF AMERICAN LINGUISTICS VOL. XXVI Longacre at the time he wrote his mono- hensive cross-section of Mixtec, since they graph have brought to light a few reconstruc- include those from the various perimeters of tions which amplify and modify his conclu- the Mixtec speaking area, as well as con- sions; see 4. In 3 we show the development centrated groups from several more central of Proto-Mixtec from Proto-Mixtecan.5 areas. Our arrangement in numbering the The dialects will be cited by number in dialects is as follows: We started with San this paper as follows: Miguel el Grande and San Esteban Atatla- 1. San Miguel el Grande, Oaxaca huca, two dialects in the district of Tlaxiaco 2. San Esteban AtatlAhuca, Oaxaca approximately near the geographical/lin- 3. Santiago Yosondua, Oaxaca guistic center of the tribe that have been 4. Santa Cruz Itundujia, Oaxaca extensively investigated. Dialects 3, 4, 6, 7 5. San Juan Tamazola, Oaxaca and 8 are situated to the south and east of 6. San Mateo Santigui, Oaxaca these towns, also in the district of Tlaxiaco. 7. San Pedro Alto, Oaxaca Dialect 9 is in Tlaxiaco to the west of this 8. San Fernando Yucucundo, Oaxaca group. The low-land dialects, 10 to 14, are 9. Santo Tomas Ocotepec, Oaxaca situated near the coast in the district of 10. Jicaltepec, Oaxaca Jamiltepec. Dialects 15 and 16 are in the 11. Pinotepa de Don Luis, Oaxaca north of the State of Oaxaca, and 17 is in the 12. MechoacAn, Oaxaca State of Guerrero at the northern limits of 13. Tlacamama, Oaxaca the tribe. The northeastern limits of the 14. Atoyac, Oaxaca tribe are represented by dialects 18 to 20 in 15. San Juan Mixtepec, Oaxaca the State of Puebla. Dialects 21 to 26 and 16. Juxtlahuaca, Oaxaca dialect 57 represent a group of towns in the 17. Metlatonoc, Guerrero districts of Etla and Nochixtlan in Oaxaca. 18. Tonahuixtla, Puebla Finally we include the linguistically iso- 19. Xayacatlan, Puebla lated dialects 27 and 28, at the extreme 20. Chigmecatitlan, Puebla eastern limits of the tribe, surrounded on all 21. Estetla, Oaxaca sides by Mazatec speakers. 22. Tilantongo, Oaxaca lina Arana and her 23. Tidaa, Oaxaca colleagues working under the of The National Institute of 24. San Juan Oaxaca auspices Anthropol- Diuxi, ogy and History, Mexico City, for dialects 11 to 25. Santiago Mitlatongo, Oaxaca 14, 16, 20, 27 and 28; also George Cowan for dialect 26. Nuxaa, Oaxaca 27; Anne Dyk for dialects 3 to 8, and 15; Melvin 27. San Juan Coatzospan, Oaxaca and Billie Jean Carson and Anne Dyk for dialect 28. Oaxaca 18; Howard and Beatrice Klassen for dialect 10; Cuyamecalco, Edward and Overholt for dialect Anne The dialects6 a Joyce 17; represent fairly compre- Williams for dialect 19; John Daly and Robert Longacre for dialects 5 and 21 to 26. Ruth Mary reconstructed on the basis of Longacre's evidence, Alexander gave invaluable help in the tedious whereas the proto-vowel is obscure in Mixtec. work of lining up the sets of cognates. We greatly 5 The terms Proto-Mixtec and Proto-Mixtecan appreciate the generous cooperation of these will be abbreviated to PM and PMx respectively members of the Summer Institute of Linguistics throughout the paper. and the National Institute of Anthropology and 6 Longacre had data from only four Mixtec History. dialects when he wrote his monograph-those of 7 Dialect 5 was originally grouped errone- San Miguel el Grande, San Esteban Atatl6huca, ously with dialects 3 to 8, whereas it belongs Jicaltepec, and Metlatonoc. Only dialects 1, 2 and geographically and dialectically with dialects 9 have been analyzed phonemically. The remain- 21 to 26. The numbering of the dialects was not der are represented by more or less rough field changed, since this was not discovered until the notes gathered by the following persons: Evange- work was well advanced. NO. 1 PROTO-MIXTEC PHONOLOGY 25 1. The following phonemes are recon- *u, *a, and perhaps *e; see below. We have structed for PM8: stops *t, *k, *kw, *?; na- not attempted the reconstruction of PM salized stop *nd; spirants *v, *0, *y, *h; tone9 for this paper, and have omitted the nasals *m *n, *i; lateral *1; vowels *i, *i, *o, notation of tone in all citations. 8 For the PMx phonemes underlying PM, see 3.